Small but important indicators suggest that one of the world’s most dangerous cities, Mexico’s Ciudad Juárez, is slowly emerging from a lengthy wave of terror at the hands of major drug gangs. Across the country, drug-related violence has subsided.

It’s tempting to declare that Mexico has turned a corner, but not so fast. Yes, persistent, get-tough policies by former President Felipe Calderón and his successor, Enrique Peña Nieto, are responsible for confronting the drug cartels head-on and making clear that they will not frighten Mexicans into submission. No government can ever cede its sovereign territory to terrorists.

At the same time, the cartels simply might have worn each other out. A killing spree that has left 100,000 dead since 2006 largely involved rival drug cartels murdering each other’s operatives in a massive turf war. One organization, the Sinaloa cartel led by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, appears to have prevailed.

A $400 million federal expenditure on projects in Juárez also has made significant impact in restoring confidence. Indications are that police are now able to return to normal law-enforcement duties with less fear of being targeted. As Dallas Morning News correspondent Alfredo Corchado reported, 355 people are in line to get jobs with the Juárez police force — a rarity for a job notorious for its high risk.

Peña Nieto recently announced that nationwide deaths from drug-related violence dropped 14 percent to 4,249 from January through March. Those are positive signs, and we hope the trend continues.

Although Peña Nieto has tried to veer from the heavy military-style approach chosen by Calderón to confront the cartels, he must insist that law and order prevail across his country. For jobs and commerce to grow in Mexico, nothing can substitute for an atmosphere of security.

Peña Nieto faces two other daunting challenges. His effort to wrest control of Mexico’s education system from a powerful national teacher’s union is running into substantial resistance. Even though teachers are going on strike and showing increasingly violent tendencies, Peña Nieto must not ease up. It is the government’s job, not a union’s, to run the education system.

Likewise, Peña Nieto is moving ahead with reforms to the antiquated national oil company, Pemex, that could include private participation in petroleum development projects. It’s a highly sensitive issue that goes to the heart of Mexican sensibilities about sovereignty over a precious national resource. Pemex is rife with corruption, and decades of mismanagement have led to a worldwide reputation for waste and inefficiency.

Mexico’s internal stability and international reputation require a firm hand. Peña Nieto must demonstrate resolve on all three fronts even though he knows the opposition will be fearsome. That the cartels might have blinked is a sign of hope that persistence pays off.

Mexico may be mending

Drug-related death toll

2012 (quarterly average)5,320

2013 (through March)4,249

“The challenge for this government is that it promised to focus on and bring down violence. But it is finding that this means continuing many of Calderón’s policies.”

•Shannon K. O’Neil, Mexico analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations